With 15.5% of citizens in London suffering a disability , you would think the city would provide proper transportation for them. However, that's not the case.
Because of London's poor accessibility to step-free or easy access transportation , 90% of the disabled choose to travel by car because there simply is no other option for them.
Listen in on Emilee, Kristen, and Alyssa's
latest podcast about some eye-witness
stories of how difficult it is for the disabled
to travel around the London.
merkerinsurancegroup.com
Some facts about London Transportation and how disabled people use it:
Over 28 million passengers are carried on the tube each year!
But two thirds of disabled people Never use these trains.
There are 412 escalators located in the whole system.
There are 122 lifts located in the whole system.
Hopefully, by 2010, 25% of the tube stations will have step free access for the handicapped.
But currently, only 43 stations have this access.
39% of disabled people don't even use busses.
But there are still over 8,000 busses used around the city.
tfl.gov.uk
"When we are completely dependant on public transportation, we are most at risk for social isolation" Jo Berlinguette
"Sometimes the ramps will break and so everyone will have to get off and I'm stuck there until someone can come and fix the ramp to allow me off" Nina Shlykova
"Wheelchair users are confined to standard class or face the embarrassment of having to get propped up while two staff man-handle them into the first class coach. This is just unacceptable in today's world" Kelvin Blake
London's Disability Discrimination Act attempts to provide equal for the handicapped. It provides access in relation to transportation, travel infrastructures, employment, education, etc. However, these established guidelines are not followed as closely as they should be. This leaves handicapped people in London to face the challenges every day brings to them without a lot of help from the government.
Is the United States ahead of London when it comes to Public Transportation for the Handicapped?
Even though it's hard to judge people's feelings on such a subject, laws passed in the Americans with Disabilities Act are quite comparable to those in London.
pro.corbis.com
The United States Department of Transportation has issued regulations mandating accessible public transit vehicles and facilities. The regulations include requirements that all new fixed-route, public transit buses be accessible and that supplementary paratransit services be provided for those individuals with disabilities who cannot use fixed-route bus service.
The ADA has been working for years in an attempt to make general public conveniences such as stairs and transportation more practical and convenient for those with a handicap. The ADA guarantees:
Equal opportunity in regards to public accommodations
Equal treatment involving public transportation
Fair employment practices
Employers are required to take reasonable accommodations for physically disabled persons
Also, a personal testimony from those who have experienced transportation from both countries tend to favor the US.
"By contrast, we had a holiday in New York last summer and the bus system was fantastic, no bad experiences at all, and always two wheelchair spaces per bus which are easily converted for use by able-bodied passengers when not required. The New York bus drivers' manners were impeccable no matter how busy the route. I suggest Tom Utley be strapped into a wheelchair and spend a week in London using the bus network (in the cold and wet, preferably) and then a week in New York to discover the difference." Bob Merry
Based on testimonies such as these, a review of both the United Kingdom and the United States' laws regarding disabled people, and our own experiences with both countries treatment of the disabled, it seems as if transportation in the US is more accessible and equal than that in London.
For more information on this subject, including the psychological effects the handicapped people face, please read "
Disabled in London
With 15.5% of citizens in London suffering a disability , you would think the city would provide proper transportation for them. However, that's not the case.
Because of London's poor accessibility to step-free or easy access transportation , 90% of the disabled choose to travel by car because there simply is no other option for them.
Listen in on Emilee, Kristen, and Alyssa's
latest podcast about some eye-witness
stories of how difficult it is for the disabled
to travel around the London.
Some facts about London Transportation and how disabled people use it:
"When we are completely dependant on public transportation, we are most at risk for social isolation" Jo Berlinguette
"Sometimes the ramps will break and so everyone will have to get off and I'm stuck there until someone can come and fix the ramp to allow me off" Nina Shlykova
"Wheelchair users are confined to standard class or face the embarrassment of having to get propped up while two staff man-handle them into the first class coach. This is just unacceptable in today's world" Kelvin Blake
London's Disability Discrimination Act attempts to provide equal for the handicapped. It provides access in relation to transportation, travel infrastructures, employment, education, etc. However, these established guidelines are not followed as closely as they should be. This leaves handicapped people in London to face the challenges every day brings to them without a lot of help from the government.
Is the United States ahead of London when it comes to Public Transportation for the Handicapped?
Even though it's hard to judge people's feelings on such a subject, laws passed in the Americans with Disabilities Act are quite comparable to those in London.
The United States Department of Transportation has issued regulations mandating accessible public transit vehicles and facilities. The regulations include requirements that all new fixed-route, public transit buses be accessible and that supplementary paratransit services be provided for those individuals with disabilities who cannot use fixed-route bus service.
The ADA has been working for years in an attempt to make general public conveniences such as stairs and transportation more practical and convenient for those with a handicap.
The ADA guarantees:
Also, a personal testimony from those who have experienced transportation from both countries tend to favor the US.
"By contrast, we had a holiday in New York last summer and the bus system was fantastic, no bad experiences at all, and always two wheelchair spaces per bus which are easily converted for use by able-bodied passengers when not required. The New York bus drivers' manners were impeccable no matter how busy the route. I suggest Tom Utley be strapped into a wheelchair and spend a week in London using the bus network (in the cold and wet, preferably) and then a week in New York to discover the difference." Bob Merry
Based on testimonies such as these, a review of both the United Kingdom and the United States' laws regarding disabled people, and our own experiences with both countries treatment of the disabled, it seems as if transportation in the US is more accessible and equal than that in London.
For more information on this subject, including the psychological effects the handicapped people face, please read "